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Economists, computer scientists awarded prestigious Sloan fellowships

By Robert Sanders

Two economists and two computer scientists from UC Berkeley are among 126 young American and Canadian faculty members awarded prestigious Sloan Research Fellowships for 2013, according to an announcement today (Tuesday, Feb. 19) from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Awarded annually since 1955, the fellowships are given to early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as rising stars, the next generation of scientific leaders.

The 2012 winners are associate professor Frederico Finan and assistant professor Yuriy Gorodnichenko from the Department of Economics, and Björn Hartmann and Michael Lustig, assistant professors in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. They are among 17 new Sloan fellows from the 10-campus University of California system.

“The Sloan Research Fellows are the best of the best among young scientists,” said Paul L. Joskow, president of the Sloan Foundation. “If you want to know where the next big scientific breakthrough will come from, look to these extraordinary men and women. The foundation is proud to support them during this pivotal stage of their careers.”

Fellows receive $50,000 each to be used to further their research. Drawn from 61 colleges and universities across the United States and Canada, the 2013 Sloan Research Fellows represent a variety of research interests, ranging from mathematics and chemistry to neuroscience and ocean science.

Established in 1934 in New York City, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit institution that makes grants in support of original research and education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economic performance.

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